Translation of French wine words to grapes
The French (and Italians) name their wine not after the grape but after the terroirs or appellation (depending on how technical you are these mean different things and there are many more subcategories). These basically means that French wines are named after the region the wine is made in. This has been mentioned in some of my previous post, and I am sure many of you have come across this whether or not you knew it. The other problem is some, like Burgundy, there are a white and red version. While others, like Chablis, there is only once white or red it can be. Below is a short translation. Any questions you might have, or if there is something you have been wondering about and I did not cover it, you can put it in the comment section. I will try and answer it.
Both Red and White
Name Red White
Burgundy Pinot Noir Chardonnay
Bordeaux Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot Semilon
Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Sauvignon Blanc,
Malbec (+2 more ) Muscadelle
Sancerre Pinot Noir Sauvignon Blanc
(I have never seen a red Sancerre)
White
Name Grape
Vouvray Chenin Blac
Chablis Chardonnay
Pouilly-Fume Sauvignon Blanc
Red
Name Grape
Beaujolais Gamay
a side note on names - Pinot Grigio is the same as Pinto Gris
There are many more technical names that I have left out. Vouvray has many more meanings depending on how it is used. This is a good starting guide though. Wine For Dummies - France has in depth information, but so does just about any book about wine, particularly French wine books. If you notice something I left out, or a correction please post it below.
Double checking a spell check by French Wine for Dummies
2 Comments:
I was curious! I thought Pinot Grigio & Pinot Gris might be the same. Sometimes, they taste different.
Thank you for the comment. Traditionally French used the word Pinot Gris and the Italian and New World wines used the word Pinot Grigio. Each region produced a different tasting wine. I will write a post about the difference soon.
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